Dubai World Trade Centre site will be evaluated by global consultancies in preparation for the UAE’s 2020 World Expo bid

By Deena Kamel Yousef, Staff Reporter

17:43 August 5, 2012

Dubai: The UAE has commissioned two global consultancies to develop a real estate strategy and project cost analysis for the Dubai Trade Centre — Jebel Ali, the country’s proposed site for the 2020 World Expo in Dubai.

Through public tender, consultants Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) and Mace have been selected for the project, the Higher Committee for Hosting the 2020 World Expo in Dubai, said in a statement on Sunday.

The UAE is bidding for the World Expo 2020 to be held in Dubai and part of the bid requirements is submitting plans for the real estate use on the site.

JLL, a real estate consultancy, was also an advisor on the Shanghai 2010 Expo. Mace, a consultancy and construction company, was appointed by the Expo 2020 team to assist with cost management and planning.

The Bureau International des Expositions, the intergovernmental organisation in charge of overseeing the calendar, bidding, selection and organisation of World Expos, requires these plans as part of the bid submissions, according to Deepak Jain, head of strategic consulting in Mena at JLL.

“We will advise the team to develop a financially feasible plan, where they will not overbuild and can leverage the wider UAE facilities,” he told Gulf News.

He added that the consultancy will advice on demand for housing, hospitality, facilities, office and industrial space and labour housing for the Expo’s six-month period.

“We took it on because we feel it’s an exciting project to be a part of. If Dubai and UAE secure this it will transform that project area and add to the wider macro-economic fundamentals for tourism, airport arrivals and wider global recognition,” said Jain, adding that the bid requirements must be submitted by the fourth quarter of 2012.

“We think Dubai and the UAE has an extremely strong case to be selected for Expo 2020,” Alan Robertson, CEO of JLL, Middle East & North Africa, said in a statement.

Emphasising on the location, Helal Saeed Al Merri, Chief Executive of DWTC and Member of the Higher Committee for Hosting the 2020 World Expo in Dubai, said: “By partnering with the most expert firms from across the globe, we will ensure that Dubai Trade Centre-Jebel Ali serves as an ideal site to host the 2020 Expo — and as a permanent attraction.”

According to Stephen Pycroft, Chairman and CEO, Mace, the consultancy, which has delivered the infrastructure and venues of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the company is committed to helping establish a legacy through large scale city planning schemes [for 2020 World Expo in Dubai].

Dubai is competing against four other candidate cities bidding to host the 2020 World Expo, including Ayutthaya (Thailand); Ekaterinburg (Russia); Izmir (Turkey); and Sao Paulo (Brazil).

The winning city will be announced in November 2013 following a vote by the 160 member nations of the Bureau International des Expositions.